The last decade has witnessed the widespread adaptation of handheld wireless voice communication devices (e.g. Cellular Telephones). These devices have revolutionized personal communication by allowing telephone access from anywhere within reach of wireless network infrastructure (e.g., cellular networks, communication satellites, or other infrastructure of other wireless networks adapted for voice communications). Wireless voice communication technology has effected society at the root level of interpersonal relations, to wit, people now expect to be reachable and to be able reach others from anywhere.
In as much as the use handheld wireless voice communication devices is not restricted to homes and offices, such devices will often be used in environments where there is considerable ambient noise. Examples of such environments include busy urban settings, inside moving vehicles, and on factory floors. Ambient noise in an environment can degrade the intelligibility of received voice audio and thereby interfere with users' ability to communicate.
It would be desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus to increase the intelligibility of speech emitted into noisy environments.
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